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Monday September 9, 2013 6:34 AM

Dinged.

Getting his bell rung.

Slobberknocker.

Football players have plenty of euphemisms for a formidable hit.

But, as the NFL’s $765 million settlement with former players demonstrates, there’s nothing
silly about getting knocked silly.

And as a fan of football, especially college football, I’m starting to feel guilty about
enjoying the sport so much.

I look forward to the start of every season, as my family and I have had season tickets for the
Ohio University Bobcats for about five years. On Sundays, I cheer for the Bengals.

In recent years, however, as signs pointed to the detrimental long-term effects of blows to the
head among football players, I’ve found myself cringing at upper-body shots that used to draw me
out of my chair.

Recently, I watched
The United States of Football — a documentary that, in part, follows the deterioration of
former pro players John Mackey, Ralph Wetzel and Justin Strzelczyk.

The effects, the film shows, can be devastating: Late in life, Mackey and Wetzel were
incapacitated by dementia. Strzelczyk was plagued by severe mood swings before dying in a fiery
crash after a high-speed, wrong-way chase.

All three suffered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disorder that scientists link to
repeated blows to the head. The disease can be confirmed only postmortem.

I spent the Labor Day weekend — the first of the 2013 college season — glued to the tube.
Instead of feeling excited, though, I was appalled by hits such as the helmet-to-helmet shot that
Indiana State defensive back Carlos Aviles laid on Shane Wynn of Indiana during a punt return.
Aviles was ejected for the play.

I wonder whether other football fans have similar doubts. Still, I keep watching.

Does that make me a hypocrite? Maybe.

The situation leaves me torn over my favorite sport.

The raw emotion, teamwork and athleticism make football exciting and interesting.

But is the toll worth it?

Terry Mikesell, Weekender editor for The Dispatch, enjoys tailgating in Athens with his wife,
his sons, their girlfriends, a nephew and any underfed friends who tag along.